Self-winding alarm-watch

ABSTRACT

A SELF-WINDING ALARM-WATCH INCLUDING AS A SOURCE OF ENERGY A SINGLE BARREL, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT THE TRANSMISSION OF THE SELF-WINDING MECHANISM AND THE TRANSMISSION OF THE ALARM-MECHANISM BOTH CONSIST OF A SINGLE INITIAL GEAR-TRAIN, GOING FROM THE BARREL RETCHET-WHEEL AND ENDING IN A DIFFERENTIAL GEAR-SYSTEM DIVERTING THE TRANSMISSION TOWARDS THE SELF-WINDING MECHANISM AND THE ALARM-MECHANISM, RESPECTIVELY, SO THAT THEY COOPERATE WITH THE BARREL INDEPENDENTLY OF EACH OTHER.

1971 RAOUL-HENRI ERARD 3,621,647

SELF-WINDING ALARM-WATCH Filed Sept. 30, 1969 INVENTOR RAOUL HENRI ERARDBY WM ATTORNEYS United States Patent O SELF-WINDING ALARM-WATCHRaoul-Henri Erard, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, as-

sig'nor to Omega Louis Brandt & Frere S.A., Bienne, Bern, SwitzerlandFiled Sept. 30, 1969, Ser. No. 862,334 Claims priority, applicationSwitzerland, Oct. 7, 1968,

Int. Cl. G04b 23/12 US. Cl. 5 8--57.5 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE I BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Alarm watches of known typehave comprised two separate spring mechanisms one for driving the alarmand the other for driving the watch. In some cases, the alarm may bepowered from the watch main spring but in all such cases the watch ismanually wound. In addition there have been so-called self-winding alarmWatches but in this event only the watch main spring is self-wound and.the alarm has a separate spring that is manually wound. Thus, heretoforethere has not been a completely automatic self-winding alarm watch bywhich both the power system for the watch and the alarm are wound by aself-winding drive.

i SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention the drivefrom the oscillatory winding element to the main spring barrel comprisesa differential gear system that also is connected to the alarm hammer.This gear system includes a unidi rectional drive for winding the mainspring in the usual manner and a multiple output gear system driven bythe unidirectional gear system, that, depending upon the major source ofresistance, will direct the drive from the oscillatory power member tothe main spring or from the oscillatory power member and the main springto the alarm hammer. Thus the self-wound main spring powers not only thewatch mechanism but also the alarm mechani-sm. The multiple outputsystem preferably comprises an epicyclic gear train. Accordingly, allmanual winding is eliminated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION PG. 1 is a plan view of a watchmovement according to the invention, and

PG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 22 ofFIG. 1.

DETAILED DESORI-PITON OF THE INVENTION Referring specifically to thedrawings, particularly to FIG. 1, a watch mechanism in accordance withthe invention comprises a frame 4 including a mounting plate 6 in whichis pivotally mounted a plurality of shafts including a shaft 8 whichpivotally supports a weight 10, FIG. 2, for oscillatory movement todrive the selfwinding mechanism. The shaft 8 includes a gear portion 12that meshes with an intermediate gear 14 carried by a shaft 16, the gear14 meshing with another intermediate 3,621,647 Patented Nov. 23, 1971gear 18 mounted on a shaft 20. The intermediate gears 14 and 18respectively mesh with gears of a differential gear system 22 mounted ona main shaft 24 and carrying a pinion 26 that meshes with a gear train28 that meshes with a main spring gear 30 that is mounted either on themain spring arbor 32 or the main spring barrel 34 mounted on the arbor32.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the differential gear system 22 includes aunidirectional gear assembly 36 and a mul tiple outlet gear system 38coupled between the unidirectional gear system and the main shaft 24.The unidirectional gear assembly comprises a pair of gears 40, 40 eachcarrying a pawl 42, 42' cooperative with a ratchet wheel 44. The pawls42, 42' are arranged to mesh with the ratchet wheel 44 when moved inopposite directions so that when the gear 40 is driven in one directionby the gear 14 its pawl 42 will operatively engage the ratchet wheel 44to drive it in that direction as the gear 42' is rotated in the oppositedirection, its pawl 42' merely sliding over the ratchet wheel. When theweight 10 oscillates in the opposite direction, the pawl 42 of the gear40 slides over the ratchet wheel 44 while the gear 40' is driven by thegear 18 and its pawl 42' operatively engages the ratchet wheel.

In the usual self-winding arrangement, the ratchet wheel 44 directlydrives the main shaft 24 to wind the main spring. However, according tothe invention, the ratchet wheel 44 is in driving relation with themultiple outlet gear system 38, which conveniently comprises anepicyclic gear train that is mounted on the main shaft 24 to provide acompact assembly. Thus, the ratchet wheel 44 is mounted on and fixedwith the hub of the sun gear 46 of the epicyclic gear train 38. A planetcarrier 50 is fixed on the main shaft 24 and carries a planet gear 52that meshes with the sun gear 46. The planetary gear train is completedby a ring gear 54 including an internal gear 56 that is in mesh with theplanet 52 and an external gear 58 that is in mesh with an alarmescapement gear 60 mounted on a shaft 62 for operating the alarm hammer64., FIG. 1. The pinion 26 is fixed with the main shaft 24 so that theshaft 24 and the main spring gear 30 are always in direct connection.

OPERATION OF THE INVENTION \As the weight 10 oscillates due to physicalmovement of the watch it drives the gear 12 which in turn drivesintermediate gear 14 and thereby the intermediate gear 18. As theintermediate gears 14 anod 18 are driven in.

opposite directions, one of such gears will drive its respective meshinggear 40, 40, in a direction to drive the ratchet wheel 44, the ratchetWheel always being driven in the same direction. As the ratchet wheel 44is driven.

it drives the sun gear 46 which tends to rotate the planet. Under normalcircumstances, the alarm hammer 64 is locked against operation and thealarm escapement gear 60 thereby is held motionless and, through itsengagement with the external gear 58, holds the ring gear 54 againstrotation. The planet 52 being in mesh with the internal gear 56 iscaused by its drive from the the sun gear 46 to revolve around theinternal gear 56 and drive the planet carrier 50 to drive the main shaft24 and the pinion 26 and thereby Wind the main spring.

When the alarm lock is released to permit operation of the alarm hammer64, the alarm escapement gear 60 is free to rotate and this releases thering gear 54 so that the constant tendency of the main spring to drivethe main shaft 24 in a direction counter to the winding direction,planet carrier 50 is rotated in counter direction and the planet 52drives the intern-a1 gear 56 through reaction of the planet with the sungear 46 that is held against counter rotation by the unidirectional gearassembly 36. Thus, the ring gear 54 is rotated and its external gear 58,in turn, drives the alarm escapement gear 60* to operate the alarmhammer 64. If additional power is derived from the oscillatory weightduring alarm operation, the sun gear 46 also drives the planet 52 toactuate the alarm. Means, not shown, are provided to prevent completeunwinding of the main spring through operation of the alarm.

What is claimed is:

1. In a self-winding alarm watch comprising an oscillatably mountedwinding weight, a main spring gear, alarm means including an alarmanchor, and a differential gear system connected between said weight,main spring gear and alarm anchor; said gear system comprising a shaft;unidirectional drive gear means rotatably mounted on said shaft andconnected with the weight, said gear means including a sun gear; anepicyclic gear means mounted on said shaft and including a planetcarrier fixed on said shaft, a planet journalled on said carrier andengaged with said sun gear, a ring gear journalled on said shaft andengaged between said planet and said alarm anchor; and a pinion fixed onsaid shaft and drivingly connected with the main spring gear; wherebywhen the alarm anchor is locked and the ring gear is immobile, theweight drives said unidirectional gear means to orbit said planet anddrive said planet carrier, shaft and pinion to drive the main springgear to wind the main spring, and when the alarm anchor is released toactuate the alarm the main spring gear drives said pinion, shaft andplanet carrier to orbit said planet around the immobile sun gear todrive said ring gear and the alarm anchor.

2. A self-winding alarm time piece comprising a pivotally mounted masscapable of oscillatory movement in response to movements of the timepiece, transmission means drivingly connected with said mass forconverting oscillatory movement thereof into unidirectional rotation, aplanetary gear train connected with said transmission means andincluding a sun gear, a planet, a carrier and a ring gear, a main springgear drive means connected with said planetary gear train, and blockingmeans connected with said ring gear for transferring enery from saidtransmission means to said main spring drive means when the ring gear isblocked and from said main spring drive means to the alarm means whenthe ring gear is released.

3. A time piece according to claim 2, wherein said blocking meanscomprises an alarm means escapement anchor.

4. A time piece according to claim 2, wherein said sun gear is connectedwith said transmission means uni-directional system which constitutesblocking means for said sun gear when said ring gear is released.

5. A self-winding alarm watch comprising an oscillatable self-windingpower member, a main spring gear, alarm means, and a differential gearsystem connecting said power member with said main spring gear and saidgear with said alarm means, whereby said power member drives said gearto wind the main spring and said gear actuates said alarm means, saiddifferential gear system including a unidirectional gear means driven byoscillations of said power member, and a multiple output gear systemconnected between said unidirectional gear means, said main spring gearand saidalarm means.

6. A watch according to claim *5, wherein said multiple output gearsystem comprises an epicyclic gear train connected between saiduni-directional gear means, said main spring gear and said alarm means.1

7. A watch according to claim 6 wherein said unidirectional gear meansand said epicyclic gear train are mounted on the same shaft.

*8. A watch according to claim 6, wherein said unidirectional gear meansincludes two pawl carrying gears, a gear train drivingly connecting saidpower member to said pawl gears to drive the latter respectively in thesame direction upon oscillation in opposite directions of said powermember, and a ratchet wheel cooperative with the pawls on said gears foruni-directional rotation and drivingly connected with said epicyclicgear train.

9. A watch according to claim 8, wherein said alarm means comprises anescapement anchor gear that normally is blocked against rotation but isreleased for rotation when the alarm means is activated, saiddifferential gear including a pinion in mesh with said main spring gear,said epicyclic gear train comprises a sun gear fixed with said ratchetwheel, a planet carrier fixed with said pinion, a ring gear operativelyconnected with said anchor gear and a planet gear mounted on saidcarrier and in mesh between said sun and ring gears, whereby when saidring gear is blocked against rotation by said anchor gear said sun gearrevolves said planet gear around said ring gear and rotates said carrierto drive said main spring gear to wind the main spring and when saidanchor gear is released said main spring gear drives said carrier torevolve said planet gear around .said sun gear which is held againstcounter rotation by said unidirectional gear means and said planet geardrives said ring gear to drive said alarm anchor gear.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,871,653 2/1959 Ditescheim58-575 X 3,104,517 9/ 1963 Wuthrich 5882 A FOREIGN PATENTS 46,612 3/1909 Switzerland 585 7.5

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner G. H. MILLER, JR., AssistantExaminer US. Cl. X.R. 58-82

